Introducing Liz, From Canada and Possibly Returning There Soon Forever

Oh hello! Now that you've witnessed me talking about other "people" for a day, it's time for me to introduce myself. I'm Liz and I live in the curious town of Berkeley, California, among other things a retirement community for people who consider New York work and California reclining in the sun without a care in the world, never getting in a car, talking to the hummingbirds who land on your palm seeking romantic advice, and plucking money from grapefruit trees whenever you need it.

How disappointed was I to realize, upon quitting my job walking around New York pulling my hair out (and freelancing, and blogging) that I had at least 35 years left before I could retire! So I went to work at then-newborn and since-blossomed The Hairpin , and then became a freelancer for a couple of newspapers and a few websites.

I come from Canada, where WE (notice I don't say THEY despite the fact that my Canadian passport expired several years ago) have a strange fascination with YOUR (OK, our: I now use my American passport and have lived here for 10 years), political system. It comes from England, where I've actually spent most of my life (dropping a lot of secrets about my loyalties today), and where a formerly vested interest in us gives the English permission to wonder and laugh at us all the day long (this was where I did my "training"). But the thing is, even we find ourselves ridiculous at this point! (When did that start, for you? 2000? 1776? 1492?) So it all works out.

What could be better than spending all day marveling at our curious political system and the buffoons who try to domesticate it and teach it tricks, to manipulate it, to bend it, to weld it to their wills, with only really, really occasional (let's say mono-centurial) well-meaning intentions?

The point is I love you, and I am so happy to be here.